Taxing Tobacco Sales
What should the tax from tobacco sales be spent on?
I think that the tax collected from tobacco sales should be spent on whatever is necessary at that time. In an article 1 written by Clive Bates, He said that the cost of NHS health care on smoking related illnesses is only £1.7 billion on average per year compared to the £10.5 billion raised in taxes. This shows that we could pay for the health care from the money raised in taxes. However, is this morally correct? We know that we can treat most people for their illnesses cause by smoking, however, some will still die and yet we continue to make it acceptable to smoke. This is why I think that the money should be used to invest into the younger generations; education. If more young people are educated to a higher level, I think that less people will smoke. This is because I think that they will be able to look at smoking critically and be able to weigh out the pros and cons. Therefore making the correct decision to not smoke. …show more content…
Some smokers would argue that the money should be spent on health care for illnesses caused by smoking.
They might think this because the money has come from them as they are paying the tax. This is why it should be redistributed back to them. Someone may counter argue that by saying that they are not really paying tax anymore if they benefit from the money. The tax on tobacco should make cigarettes expensive so that people don’t buy them and have an incentive to not smoke. If they know that in the long-term they may receive the money back through health care costs, it may no longer deter as many
people
I think that the government health secretary may want to use the money for schemes to stop everyone from smoking all together. Like I mentioned earlier, one of the ways that they may attempt this is by educating the younger generations. However, I suspect that this will be quite directly aimed at secondary school children and will be a short course or talk. Instead I think that the government should target children younger than they are currently. They should start embedding the idea that smoking is bad while the children are still in their last year of primary school. I read an article2 in which it said that health secretary Andrew Lansley, told the times that the government was considering removing all branding from cigarette packets to make them appear less attractive. He quite abruptly added: "We don't want to work in partnership with the tobacco companies because we are trying to arrive at a point where they have no business in this country".
1(www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_218.pdf accessed: 22/1/13)
2(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17698730 accessed: 22/1/13)
I think that the tax collected from tobacco sales should be spent on whatever is necessary at that time. In an article 1 written by Clive Bates, He said that the cost of NHS health care on smoking related illnesses is only £1.7 billion on average per year compared to the £10.5 billion raised in taxes. This shows that we could pay for the health care from the money raised in taxes. However, is this morally correct? We know that we can treat most people for their illnesses cause by smoking, however, some will still die and yet we continue to make it acceptable to smoke. This is why I think that the money should be used to invest into the younger generations; education. If more young people are educated to a higher level, I think that less people will smoke. This is because I think that they will be able to look at smoking critically and be able to weigh out the pros and cons. Therefore making the correct decision to not smoke. …show more content…
Some smokers would argue that the money should be spent on health care for illnesses caused by smoking.
They might think this because the money has come from them as they are paying the tax. This is why it should be redistributed back to them. Someone may counter argue that by saying that they are not really paying tax anymore if they benefit from the money. The tax on tobacco should make cigarettes expensive so that people don’t buy them and have an incentive to not smoke. If they know that in the long-term they may receive the money back through health care costs, it may no longer deter as many
people
I think that the government health secretary may want to use the money for schemes to stop everyone from smoking all together. Like I mentioned earlier, one of the ways that they may attempt this is by educating the younger generations. However, I suspect that this will be quite directly aimed at secondary school children and will be a short course or talk. Instead I think that the government should target children younger than they are currently. They should start embedding the idea that smoking is bad while the children are still in their last year of primary school. I read an article2 in which it said that health secretary Andrew Lansley, told the times that the government was considering removing all branding from cigarette packets to make them appear less attractive. He quite abruptly added: "We don't want to work in partnership with the tobacco companies because we are trying to arrive at a point where they have no business in this country".
1(www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_218.pdf accessed: 22/1/13)
2(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17698730 accessed: 22/1/13)